Falling Tree At Calif. Summer Camp Kills Counselor

A tree fell through a dining hall at a Jewish summer camp in Northern California, killing one and requiring four others to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.

NBC News reported that a counselor, Annais Rittenberg, was killed.

A Cal Fire spokesman, Daniel Berlant, posted on Twitter that emergency crews were responding to a “mass casualty” event on Wednesday at Camp Tawonga, with 20 reported injuries, the Los Angeles Times reported.

There were conflicting reports as to whether any children were injured in the incident. Gregg Rubenstein, director of finance for the camp, told The Associated Press that the staff was still assessing the situation but no campers were among the injured.

A spokesman for the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Jim Oliver, told myMotherLode.com that children had been trapped under the tree but were not necessarily injured.

Founded in 1925, Camp Tawonga is located near Yosemite National Park and headquartered in San Francisco.

In response to the tragedy, Marsha Hurwitz, the chief operating officer of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, issued a statement saying that “our hearts go out to the children, staff, and families involved.”

“Camp Tawonga is a vital part of our Bay Area Jewish community, and we are profoundly saddened and shocked by this tragedy,” Hurwitz said. “We have offered whatever assistance we can provide to the camp, its families, and staff in responding to today’s events.”